Carshalton - a gem of a place to visit

The Ponds, Carshalton

Determined to enjoy this beautiful weather we are having I dragged hubby out for a little trip. I have often passed through Carshalton on the bus and said how pretty it looked and one day I'd get off the bus and wander around. Today was that day. We headed off to the ponds and along the river (part of the River Wandle) where there are plenty of places to sit and everywhere is so peaceful. A nice place to escape to for a few hours.

We ended up at the Honeywood Museum. What a gem of a place. The house was built approximately 1680 and is nicely kept. There was an exhibition about the first world war in one room, a billiard room and other rooms housed information about the area. Each room had things for children to do - from dressing up clothes, a mini tea set on a wooden table and chairs, to a room full of toys, and not the usual stuff, but nice wooden toys, including a Brio train set. Children are encouraged to use them but asked to look after them. The museum overlooks the ponds - I'd love that view!

Carshalton was apparently popular with Londoners for the purity of the waters and was a sporting centre. One of the former tenants was William Hale White, an author, who was friends with John Ruskin and pre-Raphaelite painter Arthur Hughes. Strangely I did a presentation on Arthur Hughes painting April Love when I attended an Art History course at Morley College on the Pre-Raphaelites - they follow me everywhere, it seems!

After visiting the museum we had lunch in the most excellent Honeywood Cafe next door and then had a look around All Saints Church, a very old church (leaky roof by the look of things - notices such as 'don't move the buckets!' It is a richly decorated and seem quite high Anglican, with traditional services.

There are more places in the area to explore so I'll be going back there and the surrounding area at some point in the future.